Abeno

Every time I go to London I visit this restaurant! When I am on a budget I go for the simple bacon & cheese okonomiyaki (about £7) but I have been experimenting with various other varieties - London Mix is by far my favourite!

However the real reason I visit is for the desserts. These are very expensive (about £5 for a sundae) but SO WORTH IT! The Sakura-Jima Sundae is a very sweet creamy icecream sundae with kiwi fruit, and the Yokohama Sundae is strong cinnamon icecream with coffee jelly and crispy biscuit.

The service varies from functional to friendly. I recommend making a booking on Saturday evenings (from about 5pm onwards) to avoid disappointment!
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Laura D
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 9
Saturday, August 19, 2006

I love this place. Stumbled unto it by accident a couple of years back and make an effort to visit every couple months or so. The food is excellent, the staff exceptional, I even got to make my own with guidance last time I visited. The only downside is waiting for the food to be ready whilst it's in front of you!
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, June 23, 2006

the best: omu-soba, or something like that.

the people working there were very kind to us.

i really enjoyed it!
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juan from spain
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Okonomi-yaki is apparently the Japanese equivalent of pizza - meaning "as you like it". It is quite delicious and definitely worth trying for its novelty value, and apart from the okonomi-yaki it has a nice menu with some unconventional side dishes (eg tofu and avocado gyoza - again worth trying). The service was attentive and efficient with a lot of smiles, and the food was very fresh - though I can imagine on a busy evening the waiters would find it tough to get all tables covered.

If you like Japanese food and want something different, I can recommend this place - though as my friend rightly pointed out, the dish itself (essentially an omelette) is easy and cheap enough to make at home.
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Miriam - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6
Sunday, April 09, 2006

I've been here once and really enjoyed it! It was a quiet early afternoon slot and so we were literally one of maybe 4 couples, and consequently the service was excellent (the waitress is adorable!).

The food is amazing - I've not got a load of experience with japanese food and Okonomiyaki - japanese-style spanish omelette is the closest I can describe it - is delish! I had squid okonomiyaki and the staff were really happy to make sure there was no pork product in the food, and my boyfriend adored his teriyaki chicken. The staff cook the food in front of you and the lunchtime deals are really really good.

Overall, I was impressed, but having passed by the place during evenings and weekend lunchtimes I can vouch for the fact it gets busy!
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Georgie - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Thursday, March 23, 2006

Having seen the funky tables from the outside, Abeno Too (the second outlet in the Abeno chain, situated in Covent Garden) proved a very enticing proposition for dinner, especially with the heavy promotions on the windows propelling it forward as a cheap eat: good quality food that won't burn a hole in your pocket.

It's a very busy little eatery with very customer- intense delivery: food was cooked on hotplates on the tables by the waiting staff... and with the numbers of hotplates far outnumbering the numbers of waiting staff, we were happy to wait before being served.

Having been served our drinks we perused the menus. The dishes on offer are essentially variations on a handful of themes, nevertheless looking round, the food looked interesting and very fresh. As we waited for our food order to be taken, we watched as customers left and were replaced by fresh individuals, hungry for a bit of authentic Japanese cooking. The clientele is young and mainly consisted of couples (though that may have been a symptom of a Saturday night?!).

Ten minutes passed, then 20, then 30. We watched as the 'fresh individuals' had their food orders taken. Attempts to catch the attention of the waiting staff were thwarted by a downcast-eyes stance, or complete focus on cleaning the hotplates for the next customers. Enough was enough. Forty minutes supping a drink in a small, noisy eatery is not much fun. Give me a Breezer on the park bench any time!

We got up to go - a waitress even smiled us goodbye as we headed towards the till, coincidentally the same direction as the door. We asked to pay our drinks bill and, I kid you not, four of the waiting staff gathered round to try and work out what we had eaten... (I began to feel a pang of guilt as the food left cooking on the hotplates began metamorphosing into lumps of charcoal). After much to-ing and fro-ing, suspicious looks, the gathering of plates from the couple seated next to us (trying to imply that we had eaten food off those plates!) and another wasted ten minutes they finally listened to our pleas and let us pay for our drinks.

All in all, I guess we were maybe a bit unlucky. Can't deny it was a cheap eat though. Definitely will not be returning - apologies are non-existent at Abeno Too.
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Terri
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, March 14, 2006

I happened upon this little restaurant by chance after trudging the streets of central London on a cold night in January.It was serendipitous. A warm and friendly welcome matched a warm glass of Saki that soon got me fired up to sample the fascinating menu. Before you die eat the avocado and bean curd dumplings. Their name does no justice to the delight they offer. A pork and prawn omelette was finer than any I had ever eaten. This is a splendind place.GO GO GO
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Des Crilley
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Saturday, February 25, 2006

This restaurant is deceiving from the outside - we almost went to the tapas place opposite, but boy am I glad we went in. The setting is small and cosy, and very classy. It's a very relaxing atmosphere.Sometimes you need that. You have the option of sitting round the counter or being a bit more intimate at the bench, so perfect for a bite with friends or a date. The food was delicious and the service was really good. Very welcoming and a refreshing change from the norm. They even made me an amazing drink that wasn't on the menu. Try it and see for yourself! I will definitely go back to try more of the treats....especially dessert, and to experience friendly service and a winding down environment.
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Zanna
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, January 13, 2006

As a small Japanese martial arts club, we thought that we ought to try eating in the style of our art and so booked our Christmas meal at ABENO. We had a terrific evening with more food than we could eat and all mouth-wateringly good.

The staff were all very friendly and explained each dish in detail as it was being cooked, spending time to describe the intricacies of the Japanese way of eating and cocking. At a cost of £40.00 per head including al the drinks, the value for money was great. I would thoroughly recommend ABENO as the place to go for that cultural experience with excellent food.
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Grant Wakeman
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Thursday, December 15, 2005

We love Japanese food and are trying to eat our way through as many as we can in London. So far, this is certainly one of our favourites. The service is excellent. The food is unique and delicious and excellent value. The okonomi-yaki is a must for anyone interested in Japanese food and they do it very well.
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T Jones
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 8
Sunday, December 04, 2005